PITTSBURGH, PA - A resident of Allegheny County has been sentenced in federal court to time served on his conviction of mail fraud, United States Attorney David J. Hickton announced today.
United States District Judge Mark Hornak imposed the sentence on Bhavikkumar H. Koladiya, aka “Bob Patel", of Monroeville, PA. Koladiya has been incarcerated in federal custody since his arrest in October 2013.
According to the information presented to the court, Koladiya, the operator of the “Atwood Xpress" in Oakland, stole identities from other persons which he used to open credit card accounts at U.S. Bank, Chase Bank, Discover card and others, and then bought merchandise, including diamonds, with the stolen credit cards.
Assistant United States Attorney Gregory C. Melucci prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
U.S. Attorney Hickton commended the Western Pennsylvania Financial Crimes Task Force (WPFCTF) for conducting this investigation. The WPFCTF was established as a collaborative, multi-agency effort to effectively combat financial crimes, including identity fraud, in Western Pennsylvania. Partnering in this effort are the United States Attorney's Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania, the United States Secret Service, the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Department of Homeland Security, the Allegheny County District Attorney's Office, the Allegheny County Police Department, the City of Pittsburgh Bureau of Police and the Pennsylvania State Police.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
